Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival Happening in Rockville This Saturday
This Saturday, September 25, the Taiwan Sister Cities will host the Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival. The event will be held from 10am-5pm in Rockville Town Square, right in front of the library. The festival is free (no tickets are necessary), and all are welcome.
There will be different vendors selling Bubble Tea as well as Taiwanese style snacks. Taiwan Republic Band, a local Taiwanese rock and pop group, will be performing during the festival. In addition, there will be yo-yo performers, drummers, and more.
Along with the food and entertainment, the festival aims to educate the local community, provide connections for outreach, as well as strengthen connections within the community.
The first Taiwan Bubble Tea festival happened in May of 2019, the same year that Yilan City, Taiwan was established as a Sister City of Rockville.
You can learn more about the event here.
Featured image courtesy of the Taiwan Sister Cities facebook page.
By: Michelle Katz @pike.and.rozay
It has been about a year and a half since Bar Louie closed both MoCo locations.While we reported the replacement for the Wheaton location back in June, the Rockville location replacement remained a mystery– until now.
Federal Realty has included two new tenants in its latest site plan and tenant roster, and it looks as though Lagos Bar & Grill will be taking over the 6,599 square foot location that used to be home to Bar Louie in Rockville Town Square.
We assume the restaurant will serve Nigerian cuisine, as Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria. We reached out to similarly-named and Burtonsville-based Lagos Kitchen Bar & Grill, a catering company that serves Nigerian cuisine, but were told that it is not them that will be opening in Rockville Town Square.
The site map for Rockville Town Square can be seen below. We’ll provide more information as soon as it is made available to us.
Top Ten BEST Restaurants in MoCo According to Trip Advisor
Below is a list of the top ten best restaurants in Montgomery County, as determined by ratings on Trip Advisor. Trip Advisor is an online travel company that features user-generated content and reviews.
Two of the restaurants on this list have unfortunately closed in the past year. We kept them on the list because A. as a show respect for the fallen businesses, and B. because they are still technically listed on the site’s top ten.
If we took out the two closed restaurants, Mandalay in Silver Spring and Gregorio’s Trattoria in Potomac would have made the list.
10. Picca Pollo A La Brasa: 13000 Middlebrook Rd, Germantown
Coming in at #10, Picca is a Peruvian restaurant opened by the Sardelis cousins of the famous Sardi’s Pollo a la Brasa. In addition to chicken, the menu also features items like ceviche and stews. Picca also ranked as the best restaurant in Germantown on Trip Advisor.
Photo from Facebook
9. Mythos Mediterranean Grill: 8371 Snouffer School Rd, Gaithersburg CLOSED
Mythos unfortunately closed back in January of this year. The family owned Greek restaurant was a popular spot in Gaithersburg for over ten years.
Photo from Facebook
8. Mykonos Grill: 121 Congressional Ln Ste 104, Rockville
Mykonos is ranked as the #2 restaurant in Rockville. From their website: “Mykonos Grill welcomes you and invites you to experience the Aegean, the tranquility of our island, our beautiful colors and our rich heritage. We bring it all together, put it on a plate and serve it to our guests.”
Photo from Facebook
7. Raku: 7240 Woodmont Ave, Bethesda
This fine Asian dining spot, which also has two locations in DC, serves sushi, sashimi, and bento boxes. Ranked #2 restaurant in Bethesda.
Photo from Facebook
6. Coastal Flats: 135 Crown Park Ave, Gaithersburg
Coastal Flats, which ranked as the #1 restaurant in Gaithersburg, is a GAR owned seafood restaurant in Downtown Crown.
Photo from coastalflats.net
5. Parkway Deli: 8317 Grubb Rd, Silver Spring
Ranked number #2 in Silver Spring, Parkway Deli is a New York style deli that’s been serving MoCo since 1963. Great sandwiches and desserts.
Photo from Facebook
4. Jewel of India: 10151 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring
Jewel of India is a modern, gourmet North Indian restaurant in Silver Spring. Considered by many to be the best Indian food in Montgomery County.
Photo from Facebook
3. Sergio Ristorante Italiano: 8727 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring CLOSED
This cozy Italian restaurant had been serving the area for 37 years before closing its doors back at the start of the pandemic.
Photo from Facebook
2. Il Pizzico: 15209 Frederick Rd, Rockville
Known for their handmade pasta, when you ask someone from the area who has the best authentic Italian, Il Pizzico is usually the first place that comes up. The restaurant celebrated their 30th anniversary in June of 2020.
1. Chef Tony’s: 4926 Saint Elmo Ave, Bethesda
As of the publishing of this article (May 20, 2021), Chef Tony’s in Bethesda is still open at their St. Elmo location. Due to redevelopment, the location is scheduled to close on Sunday, May 23rd. The owners have announced that they will move to a new location in the area and hope to be open in September. Chef Tony’s, the best rated restaurant in all of Montgomery County, is known for their fresh seafood and large wine selection.
Rockville Mayor and Council to Hold Meeting on Town Center Improvements
The City of Rockville will host a virtual meeting on January 4th to discuss “strategies to improve and strengthen the vitality” of the Rockville Town Center.
The three agenda items for the discussion will be signage at the Town Center, an update on the Town Center initiative to strengthen the area, and a discussion on special districts to promote downtown Rockville.
The meeting will be livestreamed at www.rockvillemd.gov/rockville11
Visit Rockville Reports for more information
Kyoto Matcha Celebrates its 1st Anniversary with Discounts
Kyoto Matcha, a matcha and dessert-focused restaurant in Rockville Town Center, is celebrating its 1 year anniversary!
They are offering 35% off of every item on their menu on November 28th and 29th, which is this upcoming weekend. Additionally they are offering BOGO soft serve.
Their menu features ice cream, cakes, soba, mochi, and more flavored with matcha, purple sweet potato (ube), rose, maple, and other Japanese delicacies.
In addition to celebrating their anniversary, Kyoto Matcha is offering these discounts in honor of their new location in Ellicott City, which has its grand opening this upcoming weekend.
Rockville Outdoor Ice Rink to Open Soon
The Rockville Town Square ice rink is currently being assembled and is expected to open in early December.
Rockville Reports reports that “Under new restrictions adopted by Montgomery County on Tuesday, Nov. 10, outdoor ice rinks are permitted to open with size restrictions following approval from the county.”
We will let you know when an official opening date is announced.
Visit Rockville Town Square for more information.
Gyuzo BBQ has now opened in Rockville Town Square.
The Japanese BBQ restaurant held a soft opening this weekend, which led to the restaurant reaching capacity.
They are closed on Mondays, but are open from Tuesday through Sunday from 5pm-10pm. Reservations are recommended.
Gyuzo offers grilled meat with a focus on imported beef and other ingredients. Japanese Wagyu beef will be a staple and is characterized by the original taste of meat and the sweetness of the marbling fat content, according to its website.
Gyuzo BBQ has taken over part of the old Mellow Mushroom location on 33 Maryland Ave. next to Kyoto Matcha.
- Grocery shopped for a neighbor unable to leave their home?
- Donated school supply care packages for students?
- Coordinated a food collection and donation to a local food bank?
- Served as a frontline healthcare worker?
- Acted in kindness and deserves to be recognized?
These small acts of kindness often go without recognition, but during these uncertain times Federal Realty wants to bring awareness to people who deserve a big thanks. Federal is seeking nominations to recognize individuals in our community whose acts of kindness have made an impact on others. Neighbors lifting each other up and being compassionate is what makes neighborhoods work. An individual can be nominated by visiting this link or scanning the QR code on the signs displayed at all Federal properties in the DMV which can be found:
- Bethesda Row
- Wildwood
- Pike & Rose
- Congressional Plaza
- Rockville Town Square
Nominations will be accepted September 2 – October 16, 2020. Seven nominees will be selected to win a $250 gift card to say thank you for their small acts of kindness.
For more information and to nominate a neighbor, check out this link!
HalfSmoke is Coming to MoCo
Earlier this week the Washington Business Journal reported that HalfSmoke would be opening two new Maryland locations– Baltimore and Rockville.
HalfSmoke was the first restaurant of its kind to serve gourmet sausages via an assembly line format. Their sausages and toppings can be fully customized to create over 50,000 variations. Their menu also features craft beer, mac and cheese balls, tater tots, milkshakes, funnel cakes, wine, cocktails, and more.
The new Rockville location will take over the spot that was recently home to Pandora and previously home to American Tap Room and Austin Grill at 36A Maryland Ave.
According to the Washington Business Journal, “the 50-employee Rockville location will be 6,000 square feet with 150 seats inside under normal capacity and seating for 30 outside. Baltimore will have 4,000 square feet, with 80 seats inside and 40 outside, and 30 employees.”
Featured photo courtesy of the HalfSmoke Facebook page.
Kyoto Matcha, an international chain dedicated to Matcha desserts, opened in Rockville Town Square on Black Friday.
Today we stopped in for some amazing desserts and were pleasantly surprised by a full restaurant during off-peak hours– definitely great to see at Rockville Town Square.
